If I purchase today...

This revised and updated turn-based grand strategy game from the team at AGEOD brings players back to World War I, including both the Eastern and Western fronts and over 4 campaigns and 10 scenarios. As either a member of the Central Powers, the Entente or a neutral nation, players will confront the epic gauntlet of military and political challenges that faced the likes of Kitchener, Joffre, Luddendorf, Clemenceau, Czar Nicholas II or Enver Pasha.
GBS
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If I purchase today...

Post by GBS »

What version will I get and will I still need to patch the game? Also, I want this game but am scared to death of it. Is it playable by those not so computer savy?
"It is well War is so terrible lest we grow fond of it." -
R. E. Lee

"War..god help me, I love it so." - G. Patton
wosung
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by wosung »

I don't know about Matrix Patch procedure, but all the patches until now are all inclusive. So even if you have to patch it, its just one file, some 30 MB.

Regards  
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06 Maestro
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by 06 Maestro »

The patching procedure is simple enough-good thing. The game is running both stable and smooth for me now. There are still bugs, and what we could call oddities. Until the manual is released, playing this game is not entirely enjoyable. It is an in depth game, with many things going on. W/o the manual, you just don't know if it is doing what it should be doing. Having said that, I have had some good playing with this game-almost got Paris in '14. The Brits come, you may not see them at first, but they are there.

They have made great progress in fixing the game, and more fixes are coming soon. It is playable, but there will be added difficulties for a while yet. If you don't mind putting up with some aggravation then get the game now. If you want to have an easy to learn, bug free game, then you should wait another few weeks. I'm sure that the tweeking efforts will go on for a very long time.
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.

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TheGreatRadish
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by TheGreatRadish »

I ordered the game from Amazon on Thursday because it was so cheap there - no offence intended to Ageod but I had to choose between £17.95 at Amazon or ~£32 on the Ageod or Matrix site.  The criticism so far made the decision for me and it was very unusual for me not to buy straight from Matrix/Ageod/Paradox etc.
 
It's due for delivery tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it, the complexity doesn't bother me but the bugs do and also the fact that I've only just found out that I can't play solely as Britain from the start [:-].
 
It's all very well for me to sit and type that I'm not bothered by the complexity, I thrive on this sort of thing but I genuinely believe that, given time, this will be a 'must-have' title and improved documentation, tutorials and a strong community will make it so.
wosung
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by wosung »

It's not the first game, which was delivered with bugs.

But the service exceeds everything I ever experienced.

It is nearly literally a 7d24h service on the AGEOD forum.

Chief programmer Calvinus is working like a madman. He answeres questions, exchanges personal mails, corrects individual bugged save games. He was even, more or less, sent to weekend leave on behalf of the community (and nevertheless answered questions in the forum).

Regards  
wosung
Joram
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Joram »

While I don't applaud the state that the game was released which was simply a travesty and a black mark on the record of AGEOD.  True to form though, they, and Calvinus in particular, have consistently addressed the concerns and have started making this playable.  I haven't gotten very far into it yet but the topic and depth of this game excites me in a way few games do.  Umm, don't take that wrong, lol.  Anyway, I'm just hoping a good manual comes out soon as right now it's a huge black box to me.
Hanal
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Hanal »

I would wait until a full manual is completed...by then another patch or two may have come out to make the game even better.....so best advise would be to await the manual, and then this game will be a must purchase for you....
Krasny
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Krasny »

I would hold off buying until the game is patched into what you consider a reasonable state.

Right now the game is a bit of a mess, plus it has an insane map orientation, which is a 'design feature'.

Also the game is very clunky and ugly compared with other AGEOD games, all of which I own, and admire.
Haplo_Patryn
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Haplo_Patryn »

ORIGINAL: Krasny

I would hold off buying until the game is patched into what you consider a reasonable state.

The game is patched and is playable in a very reasonable state right now. Patch 1.05B and tomorrow official pathc 1.05C. No hangs, bugs killed, and i can play without problems[/quote]
Right now the game is a bit of a mess, plus it has an insane map orientation, which is a 'design feature'.

Sorry, but i have to disagree with you. The game is complex and (IMHO) a must have for players who want a deep playability and a lot of options. About the "insane" map orientation, that's it not a problem, it's your problem. I don't have any problem with that neither of the great majority of the players who have bought WWI. If you have played a boardgame sometime, you would have to know that you have to play in a lot of different map orientations so, what's the problem with that? It take few minutes for me to accostum to play WWI. I don't think the map orientation is so insane. I like that.
Also the game is very clunky and ugly compared with other AGEOD games, all of which I own, and admire.

Well, i think WWI has a lot of new features and has good graphics for a strategy game. It's becoming better and better with each patch released. Compared with FAR CRY or GEARS OF WAR all strategic games are clunky. Graphics is not a problem, not for a strategic one. [:-]

[:)]
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Stwa
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Stwa »

ORIGINAL: wosung

It's not the first game, which was delivered with bugs.

But the service exceeds everything I ever experienced.

It is nearly literally a 7d24h service on the AGEOD forum.

Chief programmer Calvinus is working like a madman. He answeres questions, exchanges personal mails, corrects individual bugged save games. He was even, more or less, sent to weekend leave on behalf of the community (and nevertheless answered questions in the forum).

Regards  


As long as users keep confusing service with alpha game development (after the sale), then small companies like Ageod still have a fighting chance.
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06 Maestro
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by 06 Maestro »

ORIGINAL: Stwa
[As long as users keep confusing service with alpha game development (after the sale), then small companies like Ageod still have a fighting chance.

Ageod was legally bound to release this game when they did. They promptly offered a full refund to those who wanted it (as did Matrix Games). They did what they had to do, and also did more than they had to do-for good reason which will pay off in the end. Ageod made mistakes long before this title was actually released. I'm sure they learned a lesson from it all.

In a period of 3 weeks, the game was made stable for the vast majority of users. In the next 2 weeks many small bugs were eliminated and improvements were added. Tomorrow another full patch (non beta)will be released that will leave this game in a very good condition. The last (and for me, the most missed item) to bring this game up to speed will be the release of the full manual, rather than the partial, and inadequate one from the initial release. That project is nearing completion-hopefully, before Christmas.

They are a reputable company with a (small) dedicated and skilled staff. They are also a company that responds to its customers' desires for changes. I have no doubt that this already very interesting and challenging game will be improved in the future in a way that only a small company that actually communicates with it customers, can accomplish.

No doubt that some would not have purchased the game if the problems were known before release. However, many also would have made the purchase anyway as they were fans of the great board game which this was modeled after. Others simply wanted an in depth WW1 strategy game-even if it was not quite ready. I do not know how many actually requested a refund, but I have little doubt that most had faith that Ageod would make this a great game in a short time with a little help. I'm glad I kept my copy, as it is, in fact, a great game.

I wonder how long it would take a lead programmer from Sony to get back to me on a question or suggestion?

Ageod has a fighting chance because they have loyal customers and a great game line up-games that large companies will not bother to develop.
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.

Thomas Jefferson

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Stwa
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Stwa »

Let me guess...you are invested in the project?

Am I right?
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06 Maestro
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by 06 Maestro »

ORIGINAL: Stwa

Let me guess...you are invested in the project?

Am I right?
Nope-I just like gaming, and the companies that provide me the material for my hobby.

I would have preferred that this game was released in perfect running condition-as this is one of my best gaming time periods of the year. I had to spend a disproportionate amount of time to figure this game out. However, it was not that tough-and now, I am having a rewarding time in playing this game.

The bottom line is that they did their best to prepare a very complex game for the market, and they were just a little late in finishing it-but it is getting finished.

Edit: I am not retired, I just have a few weeks off at this time of year, and I spend a good part of it gaming. I am not "fat" either-at 52, I still qualify as a "lean, mean, killing machine"-roughly twice as strong as most of the current crop of "men" half my age. (belated attempt to forestall slander[:-])
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.

Thomas Jefferson

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JudgeDredd
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by JudgeDredd »

lol...you just can't please some people.
 
Whilst I understand the argument "shouldn't have been released", you lot are doing the same damn bitching you would've done had they released it in this state and not offered a refund or tried to get it up to scratch as quickly as possible. There are levels of "pissed off" for some...others just have one mode..."downright pissed off"...black and white.
 
AGEoD has bent over backwards (as they should) to do the right thing after their initial error. The point alot of people are making, inlcuding myself, is whilst it isn't acceptable that they released the product in the state they did, they are doing a damn site more about it than other bigger developers. I'd like to see you get a refund off EA or Codemasters because there are some bugs in their software.
 
I understand that if you don't work in the industry then you have the luxury of sitting on your throne in your castle on top of the hill and pour scorn over the little people. But if you did work in the industry, you would understand that "progressive release" is essential to keep a company soluble. Because of the complexity of the code, they simply cannot guarantee 100% that it is bug free for you...nevermind the 1,000s of other people with different hardware configurations. IOW, bugs in software happen...end of. You don't have to like it...but you do have to accept it...because it isn't going away.
 
Some released programs have more bugs than others. Generally speaking, it's down to the complexity. I could write you a program with 100 lines of code in it to open a database, get info, do some manipulation of the data and close the database. I would guarantee that to be bug free. Ask me to add another 100,000 lines of code to it and access many, many third party APIs and I simply cannot guarantee it. There is always something which has a knock on when programming and often it's caught...often it's not. Something, somewhere, is overlooked.
 
I get the impression sometimes that some people just like the sound of moaning...it's comforting to them.
 
And I'm not affiliated in any way, shape or form with AGEoD, Matrix or the game itself. I just understand they made a mistake and are trying to rectify it as quickly as possible.
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Stwa
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Stwa »

Nah, your making it too complicated. They just needed the money in November. That's all, its really very simple.

BTW, me thinks there are a lot of people wandering the forums now days that "work in the industry" as you say. Some of them for there entire adult lives.

I think what you will find, the types of people that can afford to be really passionistic about playing games are retired old farts (most of them are probably fat), college students, and the unemployed, which considering the economy, there is probably going to be a lot more of them sooner than later.
oldspec4
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by oldspec4 »

ORIGINAL: Stwa

Nah, your making it too complicated. They just needed the money in November. That's all, its really very simple.

BTW, me thinks there are a lot of people wandering the forums now days that "work in the industry" as you say. Some of them for there entire adult lives.

I think what you will find, the types of people that can afford to be really passionistic about playing games are retired old farts (most of them are probably fat), college students, and the unemployed, which considering the economy, there is probably going to be a lot more of them sooner than later.

Hey..I resemble the remark about retired old farts [:D] but I've been a gym rat for the past 20 years so the fat comment doesn't apply [:-]
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JudgeDredd
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by JudgeDredd »

ORIGINAL: Stwa

Nah, your making it too complicated. They just needed the money in November. That's all, its really very simple.
Well, I'll take your word for that. [&o]
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Stwa
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Stwa »

I too fall into the old fart category, and I haven't been doing the gym thing, so what does that tell you? [:D]
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06 Maestro
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by 06 Maestro »

ORIGINAL: Stwa

I too fall into the old fart category, and I haven't been doing the gym thing, so what does that tell you? [:D]

Eh, that you are a fat old fart who wants a new WW1 game to play, and the developers seem to have failed in that task-and you are pissed off?[:D]

You could be happy that you did not buy it on 11/11. [;)]
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.

Thomas Jefferson

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Stwa
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RE: If I purchase today...

Post by Stwa »

Precisely!

And, its generally not a good idea to make fat old farts learn upside down geography. [:D]
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